Prukalpa Sankar and I have this thing where we end up in marathon conversations about the state of SaaS in India. Sometimes for hours on end. Her instincts are genuinely unparalleled. She spots patterns in this sector well in advance while most of us are still playing catch-up. But the strain that it puts on her time is immense as well. In the past, whenever I asked her to give a talk at a SaaSBoomi learning event, she would find it challenging to resolve conflicting commitments. Things have changed for Prukalpa since then, but that’s for another post.
One day, in 2022-23, she made another one of her prescient observations. This observation would change SaaSBoomi.
“You know what, you should speak to Suren?” she said.
I hadn’t yet met Surendran Balchandran (or Suren, as everyone knows him). But when Prukalpa vouches for someone, you don’t question it. Almost the same day, I pinged her asking for an introduction.
What followed was one of the most surprising experiences of my life. We had a great initial call, and I brought Suren on to program manage our Annual. When we started preparing for the event, he was honestly pretty quiet. He would attend meetings, take notes, nod along, but not say too much. Classic wallflower. I’ll admit, I sometimes wondered if this wasn’t going to work out.
But then came event day, and it was like watching a submarine surface from the depths. He was on top of everything assigned to him and more. His attention to detail was astounding. What really melted my brain was that Suren was not just flawlessly executing his current responsibilities; he also had one eye on potential failure points for future events and was quietly putting processes in place to avoid them.
My friend Vinod often talks about understanding a person’s user manual. It took me a while to decode Suren’s user manual. And when I did, I understood Suren a lot better. You see, in the first few meetings, Suren wasn’t passive; he was absorbing information. He was learning and growing. Little did I know he was talking with experts and reading to prepare himself for the event.
And that’s Suren, someone who never stops learning and never gives up an opportunity to grow.
And as we move our focus to AI, I’ve found that I’ve been talking to Suren much more. There are two primary reasons:
- It’s difficult to find true AI experts in India.
- It’s even more difficult to find AI experts who can effectively break down complex concepts for non-experts.
Suren is very much both. A technical expert, but also a teacher. He will start small, such as explaining a concept to a child, and gradually increase the difficulty level as you absorbs more information. However, Suren is also enthusiastic about AI, which means he often jumps a few levels as he begins to imagine significant problems AI can solve. I usually have to ask him to slow down, and he does so, almost immediately. But his enthusiasm is endearing. It makes me want to dial him up more often.
But what really sets Suren apart from everyone else is not just his infectious enthusiasm for learning, but also his attitude. To quote Marvin Gaye, “Ain’t no river wide enough” for Suren.
This story is now part of urban legend, but let me reiterate it for you.
Many years ago, Sachin Tendulkar, just 16, was hit on the nose by a fierce Waqar Younis bouncer during a Test in Sialkot, Pakistan, leaving him bloodied. Despite advice to retire hurt, Tendulkar told teammate Navjot Singh Sidhu, “main khelega” (“I will play”). He returned, struck a few boundaries and forged a match-saving partnership, scoring 57 runs, helping India draw the game.
That one game cemented Tendulkar’s status as a future legend of the sport. He stood up to the challenge, conquered his fears and forged ahead.
That’s Suren, right there. Instead of main khelega, it is always “ho jayega” (It’ll be done).
Thank you, Suren, for not letting bouncers faze you.
From the Author:
SaaSBoomi began in 2015 as a small gathering of ~50 founders, and today, with over 500 events across three countries and countless lives touched, we’ve only just scratched the surface.
None of this would have been possible without the unrelenting passion of our 125+ volunteers — the lifeblood of SaaSBoomi.
Their contributions go beyond effort; they’ve built a community bound by camaraderie, empathy, and a shared vision for a Product Nation.
Pay it FWD is my tribute to every pay-it-forward champion I’ve encountered on this incredible journey.
Their contributions to SaaSBoomi and the broader ecosystem have been immeasurable, yet there remains a story left to be told — one that echoes the impact they continue to create.
